Diaper rinser



Feb. 25, 1964 Filed March 13, 1961 w. L. MARTIN DIAPER IRINSER 2Sheets-Sheet 1 IN V EN TOR. 15441 72-76 L, MET/IV BY FM w/neue, MATT/N61v Hun/7'45") Feb. 25, 1964 w, L, MARTIN 3,122,011

DIAPER RINSER Filed March 15, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 i 46 r K I i I l t E87 1 I j I 5 30-! I I30 I 4 n INVENTOR. M71 75/? I. Merv/v United StatesPatent 3,122,011 DIAPER RINER Walter B... Martin, 6997 Ears PasqualeCircle, Buena Park, Calif. Filed Mar. 13, 1961, Ser. No. 95,168 it?Claims. (El. 68-205) The present invention relates generally toapparatus for rinsing diapers and, more particularly, to a freestanding,self-contained diaper rinser adapted for draining into a toilet fixture.

A variety of devices have heretofore been proposed for the removal ofsolid waste matter from diapers, as a preliminary to storage andsubsequent laundering of the diapers. Diaper rinsers are commonlyadapted for use with a toilet but, so far as I am aware, all of theseprior devices either interfere with the normal use of the toilet orinvolve a substantial modification of the toilet fixture. These diaperrinsers must be placed directly on top of the toilet bowl and connectedand disconnected to a source of water for each use of the rinser. Insome cases accessory plumbing, involving added lines and valves,obviates the need for connection and disconnection to a source of waterwith each use of the device, but such devices, nevertheless, entail thepermanent positioning of a spray pipe within the opening of the toiletbowl. In all cases the diaper is only cleaned on one side at a time, thesoiled diaper soils the rinser, and the device is not self cleaning.More importantly, the previously available devices are not particularlyefiicient in performing the function of removing waste matter from adiaper.

With my invention, the above and other disadvantages of previouslyavailable diaper rinsers are overcome. In carrying out the invention, Iprovide a free-standing unit which can be installed adjacent a toilet byan unskilled person. TJlS unit includes an elevated tank from whose lidan unfolded diaper can be supported to hang freely within the tankbetween opposed spray means having a source of water under pressure inthe supply line for the water tank of the toilet. Opening of a controlvalve subjects the opposite sides of the suspended diaper to the opposedpressure sprays of water, the sprays sweeping across the opposite sidesof the diaper. The effluent is discharged from the tank through agravity drain outlet provided with a screen which comminutes solid wasteand the el'duent is ultimately discharged into the toilet bowl through atube, or the like, adapted to be normally held in position on the toiletbowl between the seat and upper edge of the bowl. After a suitableperiod of operation, the lid of the tank is opened, the diaper removedand then wrung out by means of a novel wringer arrangement disposed onthe under surface of the lid.

One of the major objects of my invention is to provide a self-containeddiaper rinser unit of the character just briefly described so as toovercome the major disadvantages of the previously available devices.

Another important object of the invention is to provide a diaper rinserwith opposed pressure spray means to accomplish simultaneous removal ofwaste matter from the opposite sides of a diaper. To this end, I haveprovided an opposed pair of spray tubes mounted for oscillatory movementwhereby the pressure sprays are directed to range through apredetermined arc to sweep up and down the exposed sides of the diaper.

It is also an object of the invention to provide a diaper rinser havingspray tubes mounted for oscillatory movement, the spray tubes beingactuated by a water motor means.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved rinser forremoving solid waste matter from a diaper by subjecting the diaper tothe simultaneous im- "ice 2 pingement of opposed sprays at differentlevels to flex the diaper material.

It is also an object or" the invention to provide a selfcontained diaperrinser unit, i.e., one that can be actuated without interfering with theuse of any other plumbing fixture, contains both rinsing and wringingmeans, and is substantially self cleaning.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a diaper rinsercomprising an attractive self-contained unit that can be manufacturedand sold at modest cost and, additionally, is adapted for positioning oneither side of a toilet fixture.

These and other objects and advantages of my invention will be apparentfrom the following description, when taken in conjunction with theannexed drawings illustrating a presently preferred embodiment.

FIGURE 1 is a perspective View of my diaper rinser unit standing inoperative position adjacent a toilet fixture;

FIGURE 2 is a partial vertical sectional view taken longitudinally ofthe unit, substantially along the line 2-2 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a partial sectional View taken on the line 3-3 of FIGURE 1and illustrating the gravity drain connection of the unit to the toiletfixture;

FIGURE 4 is a vertical sectional view taken transversely of the tank ofthe unit, along the line 4-4 of FIG- URE 2;

FIGURE 5 is a partial perspective view of the unit with the lid open;

FIGURE 6 is a schematic view showing the mode of rinsing action of theunit;

FIGURE 7 is a schematic view illustrating one manner of connecting thediaper rinser unit to a source of water under pressure;

FIGURE 8 is a partial vertical sectional view taken on the line 88 ofFlGURE 2;

FIGURE 9 is a partial vertical sectional view like FIGURE 4, but on alarger scale, showing the drive mechanism for oscillating the spraytubes;

FIGURE 10 is a partial elevational View of the lid in upside downposition, to show details of construction of the wringer; and

FIGURE 11 is a sectional view on the line ill-11 of FIGURE 9.

Referring to FIGURE 1, the presently preferred embodiment of my diaperrinser is shown along one side of a toilet fixture comprising a tankZll, bowl 2i, pivotally mounted seat 22,, and pivotally mounted lid 23.As is shown in FIGURE 7, a conventional supply stub pipe 24 protrudesrom the wall of the bathroom and is controlled by a manually operableshut-off valve 25 that is positioned immediately upstream from a tee 26.This tee permits water at household pressure to be delivered through asupply line 27 to the toilet tank 20 and through another supply line 28to the diaper rinser.

All parts of the diaper rinser are preferably made of a syntheticplastic for ease and economy of fabrication and, also, because theplastic material is corrosion resistant and inhibits the deposit ofscale from hard water. However, it will, of course, be understood thatthe rinser may be made of other materials.

The diaper rinser has a tank 29 defined by a pair of identicallongitudinally extending side walls 30 and oposite end walls 31 and 33,all of which Walls have merging lower end portions defining a tank floor32. As is shown in FIGURE 2, the tank floor 32 slopes downwardly fromthe end wall 31 towards the other end wall 31, the latter having anintegrally formed drain stub 33. A cup shaped screen 34, preferably oftwo to eight mesh size, is wedged in the throat of the drain stub 33 andserves to more finely divide large pieces of waste which might other- Q?wise tend to clog the drain passage between the rinse tank 29 and thetoilet bowl 21.

As the heights of toilet bowls vary, the tank 29 is supported onadjustable legs to support it above the toilet bowl next to which it isplaced, thus insuring proper drainage. The corners of the tank 29 havedownwardly continuing extensions of the tank walls and a leg 36 isnestingly receivable within each corner extension. At the upper ends,each of the legs is provided, in opposite flanges thereof, with avertically elongate slot 37 to receive a bolt 38, affixed to the innerface of the continuation 35, and a nut 39 is provided for each bolt tosecure the leg in adjusted position.

In order to permit placement of the diaper rinser on one side or theother of the toilet bowl 21, as the availability of space dictates, anelbow 4) is mounted on the drain stub 33 by means of a union nut ii. Asis apparent, the elbow at can be selectively directed to that side ofthe rinser tank 29 on which the toilet bowl 21 is positioned. The freeend of the elbow 40 is telescoped into one end of a piece of tubing 42and the other end of this piece of tubing is provided with a drain piece4-3 that is held in place on the rim of the toilet bowl 21. It will beobserved that the exhaust end of this drain piece is radically flattenedin order to be receivable between the under face of the toilet seat 22and the upper face of the rim of the toilet bowl Z1, i.e. in the spaceprovided by a plurality of bumpers such as are conventionally providedon the seat. At the extreme end of the drain piece 43, its lower wall isprovided with a downwardly protruding horizontally elongated flange 45that engages the inside of the rim of the toilet bowl 21 in order toprevent accidental displacement of the drain piece.

The upper end of the tank 29 is closable with a lid 48 Whose undersidemounts a means for wringing out a diaper after it has been rinsed. As isshown in FIGURE 5, the underside of the lid 48 is integrally formed witha pair of bosses 49 and two pairs of confronting arms 50 that arealigned adjacent to one longitudinal edge of the lid. The bosses 49support a shaft 51 mounting a rotatable wringer roll 52 and the twopairs of arms 59 normally support a shaft 55, having a wringer roll 53,in coaxial alignment with the roll 52. Referring now to FIGURE 10, itwill be seen that one end of the shaft is mounted in one end of anL-shaped link assembly 54 and the other end of this link is pivotallymounted between a pair of the arms 59. As is shown in FIGURE 5, theother end of the roll 53 has its shaft receivable between the other pairof arms 54 providing a releasable clamp for normally holding the roll 53in inoperative position when the lid is closed.

When the lid is opened, the swingable end of the shaft 55 is manuallyreleased from the clamping arms 59, after which the roll 53 is swung tothe position indicated in phantom outline in FIGURE 10, wherein it is inparallel relationship to the roll 52. The free end of the shaft 55 ofthe roll 53 can then be pressed towards the other roll 52. while thediaper is being drawn between the wringer rolls.

The underside of the lid 43 will be wetted as a result of the sprayirvoccurring within the tank 29 and also, as a result of the wringingoperation. In order to drain moisture from the underside of the lid 48into the tank 29, an endless drip shield 69 is formed integrally on theunderside of the lid. As is shown in phantom outline in FIGURE 8, whenthe lid 43 is in open position, an enlarged portion 61 of the dripshield 6t? overhangs the interior of the tank 29 and all water on theunderside of the lid thus drains gravitationally into the tank, ratherthan onto the surrounding floor area.

The lid 48 can be hingedly connected to the upper edge of eitherlongitudinally extending wall 39 of the tank 2), so as to be openable inthe direction which is most convenient from the standpoint of theavailable space. In mounting the lid on the tank 29, the wringer rolls52 and 53 are preferably adjacent that edge of the lid in which thehinge connection is made. In the fully open position, the lid 48 ispreferably disposed at about the angle illustrated in FIGURE 5 and thelid and the upper edges of the tank walls 30 are provided withcoopcrating portions of a stop means to support the lid at this angle.The wringer rolls are thus disposed relatively closely to the hingeaxis, making a relatively short lever arm. Then, when a diaper is wrungout, excessive stresses will not be imposed on the hinge mechanism andthe lid 43 is more firmly supported for the wringing operation.

More specifically, referring to FIGURE 5, it will be seen that the upperedge of the tank sidewalls 3%} is formed with a longitudinallyextending, angular-walled, clearance groove 62 and, inwardly of thisgroove, the upper edge of tank wall has a plurality of equally spacedapart slots 63. As is shown in FIGURE 8, the longitudinal edge of thelid 48 having the shield portion 61 is formed with integral fingers ofcircular form, complementary to the configuration of the slots 63 of thetank walls 3d. The hinge connection is thus provided by the seating ofthe fingers 65 in the slots 63 and held in place by hinge pins 64.

It will be observed that when the lid is closed there is a clearancespace between the confronting surfaces of the groove 65 and thecomplementarily shaped edge of the lid, defining the limits of the arethrough which the lid 48 is swingable. Thus, when the lid .8 is moved tothe fully opened position illustrated in phantom outline in FIGURE 8,these confronting surfaces abut one another to provide the previouslymentioned stop means.

The tank 29 is preferably of suflicient height and width so that a fullyunfolded diaper can be hung inside the tank, preferably with the loweredge of the diaper hanging freely as shown in phantom outline in FIGURE2. In order to support the diaper, a pair of clothes pins 71 are securedto the underside of the lid 48, along the longitudinal center line ofthe lid, as for example, by ad hesively securing them to a pair ofintegrally formed bosses 72. Thus, when the lid is open a soiled diapercan be carried to the tank 29 and opposite corners secured in theclothespins 71. The lid is then closed and the diaper hangs verticallyin spaced apart relationship to the opposite sidewalls 30 of the tank,so that both sides of the diaper are exposed for cleaning by the sprays.

A pair of spray tubes 74 are mounted in the tank 29 on opposite sides ofthe vertical plane in which the diaper hangs, preferably in horizontallyextending positions at the upper end of the tank, at about the samelevel with the upper edge of the diaper 70. Both of these spray tubesare mounted in the manner shown in FIGURE 2. On its inner face the endwall 30 of the tank has a pair of cylindrical bosses 75 each of which iscoaxially aligned with a bore 76 formed in the opposite end wall 31, torotatably mount a spray tube 74. That end of the spray tube 74 which isdisposed in the cylindrical boss 75 is preferably closed and the otheropen end of the spray tube protrudes through the wall 31 and is providedwith a retainer and gasket means. Each spray tube mounts a spaced pairof nozzles 7 8.

The end wall 31 of the tank 29 has a recess 8% formed on its outersurface at the upper end of the wall, shaped to matingly receive theside wall of a box-like housing 8 As is shown in FIGURE 9, a gasket 82is interposed between the housing 81 and the side wall 30 so that wateradmitted into the housing will not escape. The housing is securely heldin place against the end wall 31 by means of a plurality of suitablefasteners 84 and a disinfectant can be introduced into the housingthrough an opening that is normally closed by a cap nut 83.

Th housing 81 is formed with an inwardly extending horizontally disposedledge 35, beneath which a shut off valve 86 is mounted. The water supplyline 23 for the diaper rinser enters the housing 81 through the lowerwall of the housing and terminates within the valve 86. A control handle87 for the valve 86 is disposed extcriorly of the housing 81, by meansof which the valve can be turned on and oif to start and stop the flowof water.

The passage of water through the housing 81 provides a suitable sourceof power for effecting simultaneous oscillation of the spray tubes 74through a suitable drive linkage. Thus, a plate 90 is secured within thehousing on top of the ledge 85, in spaced apart relationship to thevertical wall of the housing. At its upper end, the plate 90 rotatablymounts a water wheel 91. The valve 86 has an outlet stub 92communicating with one end of a short piece of flexible hose 93, theother end of the hose communicating with a stub 94 that extends throughthe ledge 85. As is shown in FIGURE 11, the stub 94 is pointed in adirection to aim water passed by the valve 86 against the blades of thewater Wheel 91. The water wheel is thus urged into rotation to providetorque and water passes upwardly and out of the housing through the openends of the spray tubes 74.

A crank shaft 95 is rotatably mounted between the tank end Wall 31 andthe plate 90 and has an end projecting through the end wall to positiona crank arm as in the interior of the tank 29. The torque of the waterwheel 91 is imparted to the crank shaft 95 by worm gearing comprising aworm wheel 97 keyed to the crank shaft, a vertically disposed worm 93 indriving engagement with the worm wheel 97, a worm wheel 99 coaxiallykeyed to the shaft with the worm 9S, and a horizontally extending worm1% in driving engagement with the worm wheel 99 and, in turn, mounted incoaxial driving relationship to the water wheel 91.

The output of the crank shaft 95 is translated into oscillatory movementof the spray tubes 74 by the linkage seen in FIGURE 4. Both spray tubes74, near the ends mounted through the end wall 31, have a short crank orlever arm lltlZ afiixed thereon. One of a pair of links 103 is pivotallyconnected at its upper end to the outer end of each one of the arms 1G2and the lower ends of both links are pivotally connected to theextremity of the crank arm 96. As is apparent from a comparison of thefull and phantom outline positions illustrated in FIG- URE 4, the crankarm 96, the arms 1G2 and the links Hi3 are so proportioned as to producea kinematic chain for oscillating the spray tubes 74, in response torotary movement of the crank shaft 95.

Referring now to FIGURE 6, it will be seen that the nozzles 73 projectin radial directions from the spray tubes 74. These nozzles have anorifice 73a which, in turn, is directed radially of the longitudinalpassage into the nozzle. These orifices are fan shaped in configurationin a diametral plane of the nozzles 78, and include an arc ofapproximately 90 degrees. The orifices thus produce thin fan-shapedpressure jets of rinse water, with an ample head for effectivelydislodging solid waste matter from the diaper 7i).

Preferably, the nozzles 78 of one spray tube 74 are oriented withrespect to the nozzles of the other spray tube in the manner shown inFIGURE 6. With this arrangement, the spray from the nozzles '78 of onespray tube 74- forcefully impinges on the diaper 79 at a different levelthan the sprays from the nozzles of the other spray tube. The opposedsprays thus cause bending of the material of the diaper 7d and thisbending action, combined with the direct impingement of the spray on thewaste material, is extremely effective in causing a quick and thoroughremoval of the waste matter. As the spray tubes '74- oscillate throughtheir arcs illustrated in FIGURE 6, the sprays sweep up and down for thefull length of the freely hanging diaper 76 As the fan-shaped spraysfrom the pair of nozzles 78 of each spray tube 74 overlap one another,each side of the diaper is thoroughly covered by the sprays throughoutthe length and width of the diaper.

To rinse a diaper, the lid 43 is first opened, after which a soileddiaper 7i) can be brought into position over the top of the open tank 29and unfolded. Then, a pair of 6 corners of the diaper are inserted intothe clothespins 71 and the lid 43 is closed.

Next, the valve handle 87 is actuated to open the valve 86 and waterunder pressure is supplied for actuating the water wheel 91, to causeoscillatory movement of the spray tubes '74. At the same time, waterpasses into the spray tubes 74 to be forcefully ejected from the nozzles'73. The spraying cycle is allowed to continue for a suitable length oftirne, usually about two to six min utes. Obviously, a motor timer orthe like can be incorporated into the valve 36 along with a valveclosing mechanism to control the length of the cycle. As a result of thespraying operation, all waste matter is removed from both sides of thediaper 753 and, after screening, drains into the toilet bowl 21 via thedrain stub 33, elbow 4e, conduit member 42 and member 43.

When the valve 36 has been closed, the lid 48 is opened to the positionillustrated in phantom outline in FIG- URE 8. The wet diaper is thenremoved from the clothespins '71, after which the wringer roll 53 hasthe swingable end of its shaft released from the arms 59. The diaper isthen folded in half and laid on top of the wringer roll 52, after whichthe wringer roll 53 is swung into operative position. Manual pressure isthen exerted on the free end of the shaft of the roll 53 while thediaper is pulled through the wringer rolls. Moisture squeezed from thediaper drains over the drip shield 61 into the tank and, at the sametime, any drops of water collected on the inside of the lid 48 will alsobe draining into the tank 2 over the drip shield. After the diaper hasbeen wrung out, the roll 53 is returned to its inoperative position andthe lid 48 is closed. Then, the valve 86 is once again opened for abrief period to rinse the interior of the tank 29. Since the diaper 70is no longer present in the tank, the pressure sprays from the nozzles78 now strike the opposite Walls of the tank to thoroughly clean thetank of residual waste.

ince various modifications can be made in my inven tion as hereinabovedescribed, and many apparently widely different embodiments of same madewithin the spirit and scope of the claims without departing from suchspirit and scope, it is intended that all matter contained in theaccompanying specification shall be interpreted as illustrative only andnot in a limiting sense.

I claim:

1. In a diaper rinser, the combination comprising: a tank having adrain; means to hang a diaper within said tank in spaced relationship toopposite walls of said tank whereby to expose opposite sides of thediaper; a plurality of spray tubes movably mounted within said tank andarranged for directing sprays of water onto opposite sides of thediaper; means for communicating said spray tubes with a source of waterunder pressure; valve means for said last mentioned means; and means forconverting the flow of water into said spray tubes into movement of saidspray tubes for effecting movement of the sprays of water.

2. In a diaper rinser, the combination comprising: a tank having adrain; means to hang a diaper within said tank in spaced relationship toopposite walls of said tank whereby to expose opposite sides of thediaper; a pair of tubes rotatably mounted within said tank and havingnozzles arranged for directing sprays of water onto opposite sides of adiaper hung within said tank; means for communicating said spray tubeswith a source of Water under pressure; valve means for said lastmentioned means; and motor means drivingly connected to said spray tubesand actuated by water flowing to said spray tubes for effecting movementof said tubes to cause sprays of water from said nozzles to sweep acrossthe opposite sides of the diaper.

3. In a diaper rinser, the combination comprising: a tank supported inan elevated position by a plurality of legs and having a gravity drainopening; means located in the upper end of said tank for releasablyholding a diaper to suspend said diaper Within said tank in spacedrelationship to a pair of opposite walls of said tank; a pair ofsubstantially parallel horizontally extending spray tubes mounted foroscillatory movement on longitudinal axes within the upper end of saidtank and on opposite sides of the plane in which a diaper is suspendedby said means, said tubes having spray outlets arranged for sweepingopposite sides of the diaper with sprays of water in response tooscillatory movement of said tubes; means for communicating said tubeswith a source of water under pressure; valve means for last mentionedmeans; and means drivingly connected to said spray tubes and actuated bywater flowing to said spray tubes for effectin g oscillatory movement ofsaid tubes.

4. A diaper rinser as set forth in claim 3 in which said gravity drainopening is provided with a means to divide particles of waste matterrinsed from the diaper.

5. A diaper rinser as set forth in claim 3 in which said spray tube tubeoutlets consist of nozzles having orifices shaped for delivering wideand thin streams of water onto said diaper.

6. In a diaper rinser, the combination comprising: a tank havingvertical walls defining a horizontally elongated cross-sectionalconfiguration, said walls having lower ends merging into a floor thatslopes to a gravity drain outlet for said tank; a lid hingedly connectedto the upper end of one of said walls for closing said tank; a pluralityof fasteners secured to the underside of said lid for releasably holdingan unfolded diaper, said fasteners being positioned to hang said diapersubstantially midway between oppositely longitudinally ex ending wallsof said tank when said lid is closed; a plurality of spray tubes movablymounted within said tank and arranged for directing sprays of water ontoopposite sides of a diaper hung in said tank; means for communicatingsaid spray tubes with a source of water under pressure; valve means forsaid last mentioned means; and means for converting the flow of water tosaid spray tubes into movement of said spray tubes.

7. A diaper rinser comprising: a tank having vertically extending wallsdefining a horizontally elongated cross sectional configuration, saidwalls having lower ends merging into a floor that slopes to a gravitydrain outlet; a screen positioned in said outlet; a pipe comprising anextension of said outlet and having a nozzle on its free end formed witha downwardly protruding lip for securement of said noule on the edge ofa toilet bowl; a lid hingedly connected to the upper end of one of saidWalls of said tank for closing said tank; a plurality of clips securedto the underside of said lid for releasably holding an unfolded diaper,said clips being positioned to hang said diaper substantially midwaybetween opposite longitudinally extending walls of said tank when saidlid is closed; a pair of substantially parallel horizontally extendinspray tubes mounted for oscillation on longitudinally extending axes ofsaid tubes within the upper end of said tank on opposite sides of theplane in which a diaper is suspended by said clips, said tubes havingspray nozzles with orifices arranged for sweeping opposite sides of thediaper with sprays of water in response to oscillatory movement of saidtubes, said orifices being adapted for delivering wide and thin streamsof water onto said diaper; means for communicating said tubes with asource of water under pressure; valve means for said last mentionedmeans; and means drivingly connected to said tubes and actuated by waterflowing to said tubes for effecting oscillatory movement of said tubes.

8. In a diaper rinser, the combination comprising: a tank having adrain; means to hang a diaper within said tank in spaced relationship toopposite walls of said tank whereby to expose opposite sides of thediaper; a pair of substantially parallel horizontally extending spraytubes mounted for oscillation on longitudinal axes within the upper endof said tank on opposite sides of the plane in which the diaper issuspended by said means, said tubes having spray outlets arranged forsweeping opposite sides of the diaper with sprays or" water in responseto oscillating movement said tubes; a crank journaled in a "all of saidtank; a crank arm aifixcd to each of said tubes; a pair of connectinglinks each of which links is pivotally connected at opposite ends tosaid crank and to one of said arms of a length to translate rotarymovement of said crank into oscillatory movement of said arms; means forconnecting said tubes with a source of water under pressure; and motormeans for applying a torque to said crank in response to the flow ofwater to said tubes.

9. A dia er rinser as set forth in claim 8 in which said out-lets ofsaid tubes are positioned and arranged for impingement of a spray ofwater from one of said tubes at a level on said diaper different fromthe level of impingement of a spray of water from the other of saidtubes to cause iiexure of said diaper and loosening of waste from saiddiaper.

10. A diaper rinser comprising: a tank having verticaily extending wallsdefining a horizontally elongated rectangular cross-sectionalconfiguration, said walls having lower end portions merging into a floorthat slopes longitudinally to a gravity drain outlet formed in saidtank; a screen positioned in said outlet; a pipe comprising an extensionof said outlet and having a drain nozzle on its free end formed with adownwardly protruding lip; a lid hinged-1y connected to the upper end ofone of said walls of said tank for closing said tank; a plurality ofclips secured to the underside of said lid for releasably holding anunfolded diaper, said clips being positioned to suspend said diapersubstantially midway between opposite longitudinally extending walls ofsaid tank when said lid is closed; a pair of substantially parallelhorizontally extending spray tubes mounted for oscillation onlonitgudinally extending axes of said tubes within the upper end ofsalt. tank on opposite sides of the plane in which a is suspended bysaid clips, said tubes having spray nozzles with orifices arranged forsweeping opposite sides of the diaper with sprays of water in responseto oscillatory movement of said tubes, said orifices being adapted fordelivering wide and thin streams of water onto said diaper; a crankjournaled in a wall of said tank; a crank arm allixed to each of saidspray tubes; a pair of coneeting links each of which links is pivotallyconnected at opposite ends to said crank and to one of said arms and isof a length to translate rotary movement of said crank into oscillatorymovement of said arms; a fluid-tight housing secured to one end wall ofsaid tank and having fluid communication with open ends of said pair ofspray tubes; means for communicating said housing with a source of waterunder pressure; valve means for said last mentioned means; a water wheelrotatably mounted in said housing in the path f water flowing betweensaid valve means and said spray tubes and positioned for being urgedinto rotation in response to the flow of water through said housing; andworm gear means drivingly interconnecting said water wheel and saidcrank.

References Qited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

1. IN A DIAPER RINSER, THE COMBINATION COMPRISING: A TANK HAVING ADRAIN; MEANS TO HANG A DIAPER WITHIN SAID TANK IN SPACED RELATIONSHIP TOOPPOSITE WALLS OF SAID TANK WHEREBY TO EXPOSE OPPOSITE SIDES OF THEDIAPER; A PLURALITY OF SPRAY TUBES MOVABLY MOUNTED WITHIN SAID TANK ANDARRANGED FOR DIRECTING SPRAYS OF WATER ONTO OPPOSITE SIDES OF THEDIAPER; MEANS FOR COMMUNICATING SAID SPRAY TUBES WITH A SOURCE OF WATERUNDER PRESSURE; VALVE MEANS FOR SAID LAST MENTIONED MEANS; AND MEANS FORCONVERTING THE FLOW OF WATER INTO SAID SPRAY TUBES INTO MOVEMENT OF SAIDSPRAY TUBES FOR EFFECTING MOVEMENT OF THE SPRAYS OF WATER.